Oral history collections in Oklahoma

DEVELOPED BY:
Tanya Finchum & Juliana Nykolaiszyn
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program – Oklahoma State University Library
Last Update:
March 3, 2010
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma
1 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma
nlike monograph and serials holdings, it has historically been difficult to gauge oral history
holdings in Oklahoma libraries. It appears many libraries do not publicize or catalog their
oral history collections and no known effort has been made, until now, to develop a master
list of oral history recordings and collections in Oklahoma. With the compilation of the Oral History
Collections in Oklahoma directory, oral narratives rich in history and information can now be more
easily found in the collections of libraries, museums, historical societies and other cultural
repositories across Oklahoma. It is our hope that by identifying and locating usable oral history
collections across Oklahoma we will enable the research community and the general public to know
more about Oklahoma’s rich oral history holdings.
Through a survey of Oklahoma’s approximately 500 cultural repositories conducted in 2008, we
have identified and enumerated numerous oral history collections in Oklahoma. Mailing lists of
Oklahoma based historical societies/museums, higher education institutions/libraries, and public
libraries compiled by the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Library along with the Oklahoma
Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) were used for survey distribution. For those
institutions with valid electronic mail addresses, an invitation to participate in a web‐based survey
was sent electronically. For those institutions with only a known physical mailing address, a paper
copy of the survey along with a self‐addressed stamped envelope was mailed.
128 responses were received and what follows is an alphabetical listing of institutions providing
information regarding their oral history collections. Each entry may, based on data provided,
include the type of media used in oral history holdings (cassette tapes, reel to reel, compact disc,
minidisc, video, etc.), an approximate number of usable items in collections, accessibility
information, interview topics/subjects, and whether transcripts exist as well as contact information
for the institution.
The survey was made possible by an AMIGOS Fellowship and the Oklahoma State University
Library. The Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board assisted in our efforts in terms of
providing additional cultural institution contacts through their e‐mail/mail database.
This document will be updated on a periodic basis. If your institution or cultural repository has a
collection of oral history materials for inclusion, or if you would like to update your institutional
entry, please contact us as follows:
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program
102 A Edmon Low Library
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405‐744‐7942
E‐mail: liboh@okstate.edu
Web: http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory
U
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A
Alva Public Library
504 Seventh Street
Alva, OK 73717
Phone: 580‐327‐1833
Website: http://www.alvaok.org/library.htm
Collection Information: Collection includes 21 interviews with the people of Woods
County. Topics include early day recollections. Interviews conducted in the late 1970s or
early 1980s by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
Anadarko Heritage Museum
311 East Main Street
Anadarko, OK 73005
Phone: 405‐247‐3240
Collection Information: Collection includes written accounts from early white settlers to
the Anadarko area along with written interviews from individuals in the late 1970s about
their beginnings in the area, life on the frontier, along with growth and changes in and
around Anadarko, OK.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Ardmore Public Library
320 E Street NW
Ardmore, OK 73401
Phone: 580‐223‐8290
Website: http://www.ardmorepublic.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with significant members of the
Ardmore community conducted by a local historian. Many of the interviews have been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: Material not readily available to the public but transcripts will be
made available upon request.
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B
Bristow Historical Society
7 Sunset Drive
Bristow, OK 74010
Phone: 918‐367‐6768
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 20 interviews with individuals
and written family histories.
Condition of Access: Available for in‐house use only.
Buffalo Public Library
PO Box 265
11 East Turner Street
Buffalo, OK 73834
Phone: 580‐735‐2995
Website: http://www.buffalo.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes recordings on cassette tapes. Topics not
specified.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
C
Caddo Heritage Museum
PO Box 487
Binger, OK 73009
Phone: 405‐656‐2344
Website: http://www.geocities.com/caddoheritagemuseum/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 100 recordings on various
topics such as language, music, dance, origin stories, and Western Oklahoma (Anadarko,
Binger, Fort Cobb).
Condition of Access: Available for in‐house use only by tribal members and researchers.
Not available to the general public at this time.
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Cameron University Library
2800 W. Gore Blvd.
Cameron, OK 73505
Phone: 580‐581‐2957
Website: http://www.cameron.edu/library/
Collection Information: Public radio station KCCU in conjunction with Cameron
University teamed up to conduct oral history interviews with current and former students,
alumni, faculty, staff, and others that were impacted by the University. Copies of interviews
will be housed at the Library.
Condition of Access: Not available at this time.
Cherokee City­County
Library
123 S. Grand Ave
Cherokee, OK 73728
Phone: 580‐596‐2366
Collection Information: Collection includes recordings about local/regional history and
events recorded during the late 1990s and early 2000. Interviews have not been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: Video cassette tapes available for check out.
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
507 S. 4th Street
PO Box 5891
Enid, OK 73701
Phone: 580‐234‐8999
Website: http://www.regionalheritagecenter.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes 116 interviews about the Cherokee Strip
Land Run, the city of Enid, OK, oil and gas exploration, and the military. Transcripts
available for approximately 87 interviews at this time.
Condition of Access: Interview summaries available online. In‐house use is available
through the Center’s archives.
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Chickasaw National Recreation Area
1008 West Second Street
Sulphur, OK 73086
Phone: 580‐622‐3165
Website: http://www.nps.gov/chic/
Collection Information: Collection includes 60 interviews about the history and
ethnography of Platt National Park/Chickasaw National Recreation Area and its
relationship with the community of Sulphur, OK. A portion of the interviews have been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: Available for in‐house use only. A published ethnographic study
including material from the interviews is available on the park’s website for public use and
download.
Cimarron Heritage Center
Box 214
Boise City, OK 73933
Phone: 580‐544‐3479
Website: http://www.ccccok.org/museum/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 30+ interviews covering
topics such as the Dust Bowl, early day settlement, and the military. Some interviews have
been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Confederate Memorial Museum
PO Box 245
Atoka, OK 74525
Phone: 580‐889‐7192
Website: http://www.okhistory.org/outreach/affiliates/atokamuseum.html
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 22 interviews primarily about
the history of Atoka County, OK recorded in the 1980s. Interviews are currently
undergoing transcription.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
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Conoco Museum
501 W. South Avenue
Ponca City, OK 74601
Phone: 580‐765‐8687
Website: http://www.conocomuseum.com/index.htm
Collection Information: Interviews cover key events in the history of Conoco. Topics
include changing logos, the DuPont takeover, the jobs of the doodlebugger, family activities,
and what it was like to work for the company.
Condition of Access: Contact the museum for usage information.
ConocoPhillips Corporate Archives
C21 PB
Bartlesville, OK 74004
Phone: 918‐661‐7252
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with Phillips and Conoco
employee executives from the 1960s through 2007. Some interviews have been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
E
El Reno Carnegie Library
215 E. Wade
El Reno, OK 73036
Phone: 405‐262‐2409
Website: http://www.elreno.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes 22 interviews conducted by Edna May
Arnold. Interview topics focus on early day El Reno, OK including: driving lessons,
Underground Chinatown, history of hairdressing, early barber shops, history of Musgrove
Grocery, early law enforcement, history of El Reno Junior College, among others.
Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
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Elk City Carnegie Library
221 W. Broadway
Elk City, OK
Phone: 580‐225‐0136
Website: http://www.elkcity.com/library
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews on a variety of topics including
pioneering in Western Oklahoma‐daily life, family history, history of Elk City, OK. Majority
of interviews were recorded in the 1970s. Approximately 60% of collection has been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
F
Friends of Nardin, Inc.
110 Memory Lane
Nardin, OK 74646
Phone: 580‐363‐4760
Website: http://friendsofnardin.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes 34 interviews from 1976 and 1977. Topics
include history of early Nardin, OK and the surrounding area. Interviews have been fully
transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
G
Gateway to the Panhandle Museum
RR1, Box 25
Gate, OK 73844
Phone: 580‐934‐2110
Website: http://www.gatewaytothepanhandlemuseum.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 20 interviews about the early
1900s and Dust Bowl period, along with a tour of historical sites in the Gate, OK area.
Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only, material available for sale.
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H
Harn Homestead Museum
1721 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: 405‐235‐4058
Website: http://www.harnhomestead.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with early Oklahomans recorded
in 1938‐1939, plus one about log cabins. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Some interviews available for in‐house use. Most interviews are not
available to the public at this time.
Harrah History Museum
Harrah Historical Society
PO Box 846
Harrah, OK 73045
Phone: 405‐454‐6911
Website: http://www.harrahhistoricalsociety.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about Polish immigration to local
area, history of Harrah, OK, businesses, families, railroad, and more. Recorded 1983 to the
present. Transcripts available for approximately 95% of the collection.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Hinton Historical Society Museum
801 S. Broadway
Hinton, OK 73047
Phone: 405‐542‐3181
Collection Information: Collection is recent with two projects newly underway. Topics
include wagon roads through Oklahoma and ghost towns in Caddo County, OK.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
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Historic Roger Mills Preservation Board
RR 1, Box 32
Cheyenne, OK 73628
Phone: 580‐497‐2106
Collection Information: The preservation board manages seven museums in Cheyenne,
OK. Collection includes an oral history interview from a former teacher at the Roll One
Room School along with several oral histories from military personnel.
Condition of Access: Contact HRMPB for access information.
L
Love County Historical Society, Inc.
PO Box 134
409 W. Chickasaw
Marietta, OK 73430
Phone: 580‐276‐9020
Collection Information: Collection includes 50 interviews about local/personal history
recorded in the 1960s and early 1970s. Transcripts available for approximately 75% of the
collection.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
M
Madill City­County
Library
500 W. Overton Street
Madill, OK 73446
Phone: 580‐795‐2749
Website: http://www.trinex.net/library/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with 13 individuals including
Governor Raymond Gary and General Fitzhugh Lee Lewis. Recorded on cassette tape.
Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public.
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McAlester Building Foundation
200 E. Adams, Room 104
McAlester, OK 74501
Phone: 918‐423‐2932
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about coal mining. Transcripts
available.
Condition of Access: Material available for purchase.
McCarter Museum of Tonkawa History
220 E. Grand
Tonkawa, OK 74653
Phone: 580‐628‐2895
Website: http://tonkawachamber.org/mccarter_museum
Collection Information: Approximately 150 written stories, mostly handwritten with
some typed. These stories cover a variety of topics including memories of Grant County,
OO pioneers, life after the Three Sands Oil Field, among others. Also in the collection,
accounts resulting for the Federal Writers Project undertaken in the mid to late 1930s.
Stories have been compiled and are available in hardback notebooks. Only a limited
number of physical recordings are available, approximately six on cassette tape/compact
disc.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Melton Art Reference Library
4300 N. Sewell
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
Phone: 405‐525‐3603
Website: http://www.marl‐okc.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately six recordings about the art
genre along with interviews with artists. Recorded on cassette tapes. Transcripts for some
interviews are available. The Melton Art Reference Library continues to collect oral
histories with new interviews recorded in digital format.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
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Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
Lawson Terrorism Information Center
PO Box 889
Oklahoma City, OK 73101
Phone: 405‐278‐6311
Website: http://www.mipt.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews looking back at the Oklahoma City
Bombing that took place on April 19, 1995 focusing on the response effort. Interviews
recorded on digital video tape and fully transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Metropolitan Library System
300 Park Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Phone: 405‐231‐8650
Website: http://www.mls.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes oral history interviews recorded starting in
2007 with Oklahomans primarily from Oklahoma County, OK. Interviews are ongoing and
available at the library on compact disc. No transcripts available.
Condition of Access: Interlibrary loan and in‐house use only.
Museum of the Western Prairie
1100 Memorial Drive
Altus, OK 73521
Phone: 580‐482‐1044
Website: http://www.okhistory.org/mwp/index.htm
Collection Information: Collection includes 170 cassettes recorded in the late 1970s and
early 1980s. Most of the interviews revolve around memories of Southwestern Oklahoma.
Other topics include the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and other 1930s era themes. Few
transcripts have been produced, but basic interview outlines are available.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
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N
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
1700 NE 63rd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
Phone: 405‐478‐2250
Website: http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with 63 artists recorded during
2001‐2008 and 106 rodeo participants from 2003‐2008.
Condition of Access: Available for in‐house use and for rental.
Newkirk Community Historical Society
PO Box 235
Newkirk, OK 74647
Phone: 580‐362‐2377
Collection Information: Collection includes 42 video recordings with 51 people covering
topics such as World War I, World War II, the Depression, the flu epidemic as related to
Newkirk, OK, oil boom days, building of the new courthouse in 1925‐26, family stories
about the Land Run of 1893, growing up on farms, and one room schools.
Condition of Access: Original videos are closed to the public, housed in a climate
controlled vault. Copies of recordings are available for in‐house use only, through the
Newkirk Public Library.
Newkirk Public Library
116 N. Maple Ave.
Newkirk, OK 74647
Phone: 580‐362‐3934
Website: http://www.newkirkpl.okpls.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes 42 video recordings with 51 people covering
topics such as World War I, World War II, the Depression, the flu epidemic as it related to
Newkirk, OK, oil boom days, building of the new courthouse in 1925‐26, family stories
regarding the run of 1893, growing up on farms, and one room schools. Original recordings
housed with the Newkirk Community Historical Society.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
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Ninety­Nines
Museum of Women Pilots
4300 Amelia Earhart Lane
Oklahoma City, OK 73159
Phone: 405‐685‐9990
Website: http://www.museumofwomenpilots.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes oral history recordings.
Condition of Access: Contact museum for further details.
Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery
2501 N. Blackwelder
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Phone: 405‐208‐5230
Website: http://www.okcu.edu/petree/humanities/art/nona.aspx
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with local artists including Steve
Mauldin, David Cherry, and Alexandra Alaupovic.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
O
Oklahoma City University Law Library
2501 North Blackwelder
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Phone: 405‐208‐5271
Website: http://www.okcu.edu/law/lawlib/
Collection Information: Currently recording oral history interviews with attorneys and
judges throughout the state. Primary subject area includes the practice of law in Oklahoma.
Interviews recorded digitally and are available on compact disc. Transcripts for 80% of
collection are available at this time.
Condition of Access: Available through interlibrary loan.
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Oklahoma Historical Society
Research Division
2401 N. Laird Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: 405‐522‐5225
Website: http://www.okhistory.org/research/
Collection Information: Collection includes one of the largest repositories of oral history
recordings in the state on a variety of topics relating to Oklahoma history and people.
Recorded on various formats, approximately one to two percent of over 18,000 items have
been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Some databases, finding aids, and lists are
available online through the OHS website.
Oklahoma School for the Blind
3300 Gibson
Muskogee, OK 74403
Phone: 918‐781‐8200
Website: http://www.osb.k12.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about the history of the Oklahoma
School for the Blind. Interviews recorded on cassette tape. Interviews have not been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Oklahoma State Archives
200 NE 18th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: 405‐522‐3579
Website: http://www.odl.state.ok.us/oar/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about coal miners and the
McAlester Prison Riot. Material recorded on cassette tapes and reel‐to reel. Interviews
have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
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Oklahoma State University Library ­Stillwater
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program
102A Edmon Low Library
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405‐744‐7942
Website: http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with women who recall the Dust
Bowl; women who worked during the war years as Rosie the Riveters; memories from
Oklahoma A&M and OSU students, faculty, and supporters; current and former women
Oklahoma legislators; inductees of the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame; Oklahoma
Centennial Farm families; memories of the 1930s in Oklahoma; African American life in
Muskogee, OK; and memories of Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel, Oklahoma poet and Dust Bowl
emigrant. The Library also houses several extant oral history collections, including the
Oklahoma Library Association’s Library Legends, among other recordings. Material
available in various formats. Many interviews have been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Some material, including transcripts and partial audio recordings,
available online and also through in‐house use.
Oklahoma State University Library ­Tulsa
700 North Greenwood Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74104
Phone: 405‐594‐8130
Website: http://www.osu‐tulsa.okstate.edu/library/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews conducted by author Michael
Wallis as research for his various books. Interviews are also available from survivors of the
Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 conducted as part of an unpublished book manuscript authored by
Tulsan Ruth Sigler Avery. Some audiotapes in the Tulsa Race Riot Collection have been
transcribed. The Library is currently recording interviews about Route 66 as part of the
National Parks Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Finding aids available on Library’s website under
Special Collections.
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P
Price Tower Arts Center
510 S. Dewey Avenue
Bartlesville, OK 74003
Phone: 918‐336‐4949
Website: http://pricetower.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about the history of Price Tower,
Price family, Price Company employees, Price Tower contractor, Price Tower Arts Center
docents and volunteers, along with former Price Tower tenants recorded on various
formats. Transcripts available for approximately 90% of collection.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
R
Renfrow/Miller Museum
2201 Yearling
Billings, OK 74630
Phone: 580‐725‐3487
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with community members about
local history. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Museum open by appointment.
Rose State College
Rose State College LRC
6420 SE 15th
Midwest City, OK 73170
Phone: 405‐736‐0259
Website: http://www.rose.edu/EOCRHC/OralHistoryIndex.htm
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews on various topics including World
War II veterans from Midwest City and the Eastern Oklahoma area. Transcripts available
online.
Condition of Access: Online access to transcripts available.
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S
Sac and Fox National Public Library
Route 2, Box 246
Stroud, OK 74079
Phone: 918‐968‐3526
Collection Information: Collection includes 47 recordings about tribal history covering
the topics of genealogy, language, culture, politics, mission school accounts, education, and
farm life. The library also is home to two interviews (copies) from the Truman Michelson
Collection. Tribal history recordings have been fully transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History/
Native American Languages Department
2401 Chautauqua Ave.
Norman, OK 73068
Phone: 405‐325‐7588
Website: http://www.snomnh.ou.edu/collections‐research/nal.htm
Collection Information: Collection includes recordings from Native American societies
and cultures in the native language. Recordings cover personal narratives of growing up,
war‐time experiences, and remembering family traditions. Some recordings contain
sensitive materials regarding ceremonies of traditional medicine and beliefs. Most of the
holdings date back to 1950s through present day. The Native American Languages
Department continues to receive materials from families and also actively records new
interviews. Approximately 10% of the collection has been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Catalog records of interviews available online.
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
2510 Sam Noble Parkway
Ardmore, OK 73401
Phone: 580‐224‐6261
Website: http://www.noble.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 100 interviews of Noble
Foundation Trustees and/or employees. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
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Sapulpa Historical Society
PO Box 278
Sapulpa, OK 74066
Phone: 918‐224‐4871
Website: http://www.sapulpahistoricalsociety.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes family histories recorded on cassette tape.
Transcripts for some interviews are available.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Skiatook Museum
115 S. Broadway
Skiatook, OK 74070
Phone: 918‐396‐2717
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with residents of the Skiatook, OK
area conducted in 2000‐2001. Future projects include recording the memories of area
veterans.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only
Southern Prairie Library System
421 N. Hudson
Altus, OK 73521
Phone: 580‐477‐2890
Website: http://www.spls.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about the Depression years and
history of Harmon County, OK. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
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Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center
18154 1st Street
Spiro, OK 74959
Phone: 918‐962‐2062
Website: www.okhistory.org/outreach/museums/spiromounds.html
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about Spiro Mounds
commercial/WPA excavations. Recorded on video cassette tapes.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Stafford Air & Space Museum
3000 E. Logan Road
Weatherford, OK 73096
Phone: 580‐772‐5871
Website: http://www.staffordspacecenter.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with astronauts including General
Stafford. The collection also houses interviews with author Andy Chaikin who discusses the
space program and artifacts in the museum. Recorded on digital video. Interviews have
not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
T
Tulsa City­County
Library
400 Civic Center
Tulsa, OK 74103
Phone: 918‐596‐7977
Website: http://www.tulsalibrary.org/
Collection Information: The collection, recorded in 1980 by Junior League of Tulsa, Inc.,
includes conversations with 62 Tulsans on various aspects of local history, including daily
life, education, and business. Interviews are currently being transcribed and digitized.
Condition of Access: Compact discs may be checked out; digitized interviews are being
added to online collections: http://www.tulsalibrary.org/tulsahistory/photographs.php
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Tulsa Performing Arts Center
110 E. 2nd Street
Tulsa, OK 74103
Phone: 918‐596‐2368
Website: http://www.tulsapac.com
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews conducted in December 2006 on
video/audio cassettes of John H. Williams, Charles E. Norman, Robert J. LaFortune.
Additional interviews with Katie Westby, Benedict Lubell and Roy Saunders. Some of the
interviews have been transcribed. Video portions of interviews can be seen on Tulsa cable
television, Channel 24 (TGOV). Transcripts for some interviews are available.
Condition of Access: Please contact TPAC directly for access information.
U
University of Central Oklahoma Library
100 N. University Drive
Campus Box 192
Edmond, OK 73034
Phone: 405‐974‐2882
Website: http://library.uco.edu/archives/oralhistory/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 150 interviews and covers the
following topics: UCO alumni, faculty and staff, Edmond citizens/pioneers, American
Indian Cultural Center, NAACP Youth Council, Oklahoma oil barons, Oklahoma artists.
Interviews recorded on a variety of formats, with the majority of interviews transcribed
and available online.
Condition of Access: Full transcripts, partial audio/video available online.
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University of Oklahoma Library
Western History Collections
630 Parrington Oval, Room 452
Norman, OK 73019
Phone: 405‐325‐3641
Website: http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/whc/
Collection Information: Collection includes the Indian Pioneer Papers and the Doris Duke
Indian Oral History Collection. The Indian Pioneer Papers Collection contains subjects
related to Oklahoma history, particularly around the time of statehood. The Doris Duke
Indian Oral History Collection contains all types of historical information related to Native
Americans in Oklahoma, particularly around the time of statehood through the first few
decades of statehood. Interviews available on cassette tapes and compact discs.
Transcripts available for most of the collection.
Condition of Access: Transcripts of the Indian Pioneer Papers and the Doris Duke Indian
Oral History Collection are available online. Audio tapes, compact discs are available in‐house
only.
University of Tulsa Library
McFarlin Library
2933 E. 6th Street
Tulsa, OK 74104‐3123
Phone: 918‐631‐2873
Website: http://www.lib.utulsa.edu/
Collection Information: Collection includes the Chapman‐Barnard Ranch Oral History
Project, interviews with Dr. Charles W. Oliphant ‐ geophysicist and Tulsa oilman, University
of Tulsa Oral History Project, interviews with Mr. C. Arnold Brown – Tulsa oilman and
founder of KWB Oil Property Management, Inc., Tulsa Race Riot interviews. Materials
recorded on various formats. Transcripts are available for approximately 75% of the
collection. The Tulsa Race Riot materials have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
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W
Washita County Museum
PO Box 153
Cordell, OK 73632
Phone: 580‐832‐3681
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about the history of Washita
County, OK from before the Land Run of April 19, 1892 until present.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Watonga Public Library
301 N. Prouty
Watonga, OK 73772
Phone: 918‐596‐2368
Website: http://www.watongapl.okpls.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes local history interviews on 46 cassette tapes
recorded in 1973 and 1983, along with some unknown dates. Interviews have not been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Waynoka Historical Society
PO Box 193
Waynoka, OK 73860
Phone: 580‐824‐5871
Website: http://www.waynoka.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes local history interviews on various topics,
including Fred Harvey, transcontinental air support, Santa Fe Railroad in Waynoka,
Railways Ice Co., and the Waynoka Sand and Gravel Company. Transcripts available for
approximately 10% of collection.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Not available to the public.
23 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Alfalfa County Museum
Alva Public Library
Anadarko Community Library
Anadarko Heritage Museum
Apache Historical Museums
Ardmore Public Library
Arkoma Public Library
Beaver County Pioneer Library
Blackwell Public Library
Break O’Day Farm & Metcalfe Museum
Bristow Historical Society
Broken Arrow Genealogical Society
Buffalo Public Library
Caboose Museum
Caddo Heritage Museum
Cameron University
Chelsea Public Library
Cherokee City County Library
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Chickasha Public Library
Choctaw County Public Library
Cimarron Heritage Center
City Arts Center, Oklahoma City
Confederate Memorial Museum
Connors State College
Conoco Museum
ConocoPhillips Corporate Archives
Cushing Public Library
Czech Cultural Museum
Delaware County Historical Society
El Reno Carnegie Library
Elk City Carnegie Library
Ellis County Historical Society
Fairfax Public Library
Friends of Nardin, Inc.
Frisco Depot Museum
Garrard Armeneum
Gateway to the Panhandle Museum
Grace M. Pickens Public Library
Grady County Historical Society
Grove Public Library
Harn Homestead Museum
Harrah History Museum
Hinton Historical Society Museum
Historic Roger Mills County Preservation Board
Hobart Public Library
Honey Springs Battlefield
Indian Territory Genealogical & Historical Society
Johnson County Historical Society
Love County Historical Society, Inc.
Madill City‐County Library
Martin Park Nature Center
Mayes County Genealogical Society
Maysville Public Library
McAlester Building Foundation
McAlester Public Library
McAlester Scottish Rite Masons
McCarter Museum of Tonkawa History
McCurtain County Historical Society
Melton Art Reference Library
Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
Metropolitan Library System
Murrell Home
Museum of the Western Prairie
Mustang Public Library
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame
National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum
Newkirk Community Historical Society
Newkirk Public Library
Ninety‐Nines Museum of Women Pilots
Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery
Oilpatch Genealogy Society
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University Law Library
Oklahoma City Zoo‐Historical Archive
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma School for the Blind
Oklahoma State Archives
Oklahoma State University‐Center for Health Sciences
Oklahoma State University‐Stillwater Library
Oklahoma State University‐Tulsa Library
Old Greer County Museum & Hall of Fame
Old Town Museum
Olive Warner Memorial Library
OSU‐Institute of Technology Okmulgee
Pawnee Bill Ranch
Pawnee County Historical Museum
Payne County Genealogy Society
Performing Arts Center‐Norman
Pioneer Library System
Pocahontas Trails Genealogical Society, Oklahoma‐Texas
Pottawatomie County Genealogy Club
Prairie Song Pioneer Village
Price Tower Arts Center
Renfrow/Miller Museum
Rogers County Historical Society
Rose State College
Sac and Fox National Public Library
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Native
American Languages Department
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
Sapulpa Historical Society
Shortgrass County Museum
Skiatook Museum
Soutar Memorial Library
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Southern Prairie Library System
Southwestern Christian University
Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center
Stafford Air & Space Museum
Temple Museum Association
The Freedom Museum, Inc.
Tulsa City‐County Library
Tulsa Performing Arts Center
United Spanish War Veterans
University of Central Oklahoma Library
University of Oklahoma Law Library
University of Oklahoma, Western History Collections
University of Tulsa‐McFarlin Library
Washington County Historical Society
Washita County Museum
Watonga Public Library
Waurika Public Library
Waynoka Historical Society
Western Plains Genealogy Society
Wilson Historical Museum

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DEVELOPED BY:
Tanya Finchum & Juliana Nykolaiszyn
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program – Oklahoma State University Library
Last Update:
March 3, 2010
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma
1 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma
nlike monograph and serials holdings, it has historically been difficult to gauge oral history
holdings in Oklahoma libraries. It appears many libraries do not publicize or catalog their
oral history collections and no known effort has been made, until now, to develop a master
list of oral history recordings and collections in Oklahoma. With the compilation of the Oral History
Collections in Oklahoma directory, oral narratives rich in history and information can now be more
easily found in the collections of libraries, museums, historical societies and other cultural
repositories across Oklahoma. It is our hope that by identifying and locating usable oral history
collections across Oklahoma we will enable the research community and the general public to know
more about Oklahoma’s rich oral history holdings.
Through a survey of Oklahoma’s approximately 500 cultural repositories conducted in 2008, we
have identified and enumerated numerous oral history collections in Oklahoma. Mailing lists of
Oklahoma based historical societies/museums, higher education institutions/libraries, and public
libraries compiled by the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Library along with the Oklahoma
Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) were used for survey distribution. For those
institutions with valid electronic mail addresses, an invitation to participate in a web‐based survey
was sent electronically. For those institutions with only a known physical mailing address, a paper
copy of the survey along with a self‐addressed stamped envelope was mailed.
128 responses were received and what follows is an alphabetical listing of institutions providing
information regarding their oral history collections. Each entry may, based on data provided,
include the type of media used in oral history holdings (cassette tapes, reel to reel, compact disc,
minidisc, video, etc.), an approximate number of usable items in collections, accessibility
information, interview topics/subjects, and whether transcripts exist as well as contact information
for the institution.
The survey was made possible by an AMIGOS Fellowship and the Oklahoma State University
Library. The Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board assisted in our efforts in terms of
providing additional cultural institution contacts through their e‐mail/mail database.
This document will be updated on a periodic basis. If your institution or cultural repository has a
collection of oral history materials for inclusion, or if you would like to update your institutional
entry, please contact us as follows:
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program
102 A Edmon Low Library
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405‐744‐7942
E‐mail: liboh@okstate.edu
Web: http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory
U
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Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
A
Alva Public Library
504 Seventh Street
Alva, OK 73717
Phone: 580‐327‐1833
Website: http://www.alvaok.org/library.htm
Collection Information: Collection includes 21 interviews with the people of Woods
County. Topics include early day recollections. Interviews conducted in the late 1970s or
early 1980s by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
Anadarko Heritage Museum
311 East Main Street
Anadarko, OK 73005
Phone: 405‐247‐3240
Collection Information: Collection includes written accounts from early white settlers to
the Anadarko area along with written interviews from individuals in the late 1970s about
their beginnings in the area, life on the frontier, along with growth and changes in and
around Anadarko, OK.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Ardmore Public Library
320 E Street NW
Ardmore, OK 73401
Phone: 580‐223‐8290
Website: http://www.ardmorepublic.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with significant members of the
Ardmore community conducted by a local historian. Many of the interviews have been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: Material not readily available to the public but transcripts will be
made available upon request.
3 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
B
Bristow Historical Society
7 Sunset Drive
Bristow, OK 74010
Phone: 918‐367‐6768
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 20 interviews with individuals
and written family histories.
Condition of Access: Available for in‐house use only.
Buffalo Public Library
PO Box 265
11 East Turner Street
Buffalo, OK 73834
Phone: 580‐735‐2995
Website: http://www.buffalo.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes recordings on cassette tapes. Topics not
specified.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
C
Caddo Heritage Museum
PO Box 487
Binger, OK 73009
Phone: 405‐656‐2344
Website: http://www.geocities.com/caddoheritagemuseum/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 100 recordings on various
topics such as language, music, dance, origin stories, and Western Oklahoma (Anadarko,
Binger, Fort Cobb).
Condition of Access: Available for in‐house use only by tribal members and researchers.
Not available to the general public at this time.
4
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Cameron University Library
2800 W. Gore Blvd.
Cameron, OK 73505
Phone: 580‐581‐2957
Website: http://www.cameron.edu/library/
Collection Information: Public radio station KCCU in conjunction with Cameron
University teamed up to conduct oral history interviews with current and former students,
alumni, faculty, staff, and others that were impacted by the University. Copies of interviews
will be housed at the Library.
Condition of Access: Not available at this time.
Cherokee City­County
Library
123 S. Grand Ave
Cherokee, OK 73728
Phone: 580‐596‐2366
Collection Information: Collection includes recordings about local/regional history and
events recorded during the late 1990s and early 2000. Interviews have not been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: Video cassette tapes available for check out.
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
507 S. 4th Street
PO Box 5891
Enid, OK 73701
Phone: 580‐234‐8999
Website: http://www.regionalheritagecenter.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes 116 interviews about the Cherokee Strip
Land Run, the city of Enid, OK, oil and gas exploration, and the military. Transcripts
available for approximately 87 interviews at this time.
Condition of Access: Interview summaries available online. In‐house use is available
through the Center’s archives.
5 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
1008 West Second Street
Sulphur, OK 73086
Phone: 580‐622‐3165
Website: http://www.nps.gov/chic/
Collection Information: Collection includes 60 interviews about the history and
ethnography of Platt National Park/Chickasaw National Recreation Area and its
relationship with the community of Sulphur, OK. A portion of the interviews have been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: Available for in‐house use only. A published ethnographic study
including material from the interviews is available on the park’s website for public use and
download.
Cimarron Heritage Center
Box 214
Boise City, OK 73933
Phone: 580‐544‐3479
Website: http://www.ccccok.org/museum/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 30+ interviews covering
topics such as the Dust Bowl, early day settlement, and the military. Some interviews have
been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Confederate Memorial Museum
PO Box 245
Atoka, OK 74525
Phone: 580‐889‐7192
Website: http://www.okhistory.org/outreach/affiliates/atokamuseum.html
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 22 interviews primarily about
the history of Atoka County, OK recorded in the 1980s. Interviews are currently
undergoing transcription.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
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Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Conoco Museum
501 W. South Avenue
Ponca City, OK 74601
Phone: 580‐765‐8687
Website: http://www.conocomuseum.com/index.htm
Collection Information: Interviews cover key events in the history of Conoco. Topics
include changing logos, the DuPont takeover, the jobs of the doodlebugger, family activities,
and what it was like to work for the company.
Condition of Access: Contact the museum for usage information.
ConocoPhillips Corporate Archives
C21 PB
Bartlesville, OK 74004
Phone: 918‐661‐7252
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with Phillips and Conoco
employee executives from the 1960s through 2007. Some interviews have been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
E
El Reno Carnegie Library
215 E. Wade
El Reno, OK 73036
Phone: 405‐262‐2409
Website: http://www.elreno.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes 22 interviews conducted by Edna May
Arnold. Interview topics focus on early day El Reno, OK including: driving lessons,
Underground Chinatown, history of hairdressing, early barber shops, history of Musgrove
Grocery, early law enforcement, history of El Reno Junior College, among others.
Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
7 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Elk City Carnegie Library
221 W. Broadway
Elk City, OK
Phone: 580‐225‐0136
Website: http://www.elkcity.com/library
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews on a variety of topics including
pioneering in Western Oklahoma‐daily life, family history, history of Elk City, OK. Majority
of interviews were recorded in the 1970s. Approximately 60% of collection has been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
F
Friends of Nardin, Inc.
110 Memory Lane
Nardin, OK 74646
Phone: 580‐363‐4760
Website: http://friendsofnardin.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes 34 interviews from 1976 and 1977. Topics
include history of early Nardin, OK and the surrounding area. Interviews have been fully
transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
G
Gateway to the Panhandle Museum
RR1, Box 25
Gate, OK 73844
Phone: 580‐934‐2110
Website: http://www.gatewaytothepanhandlemuseum.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 20 interviews about the early
1900s and Dust Bowl period, along with a tour of historical sites in the Gate, OK area.
Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only, material available for sale.
8
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
H
Harn Homestead Museum
1721 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: 405‐235‐4058
Website: http://www.harnhomestead.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with early Oklahomans recorded
in 1938‐1939, plus one about log cabins. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Some interviews available for in‐house use. Most interviews are not
available to the public at this time.
Harrah History Museum
Harrah Historical Society
PO Box 846
Harrah, OK 73045
Phone: 405‐454‐6911
Website: http://www.harrahhistoricalsociety.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about Polish immigration to local
area, history of Harrah, OK, businesses, families, railroad, and more. Recorded 1983 to the
present. Transcripts available for approximately 95% of the collection.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Hinton Historical Society Museum
801 S. Broadway
Hinton, OK 73047
Phone: 405‐542‐3181
Collection Information: Collection is recent with two projects newly underway. Topics
include wagon roads through Oklahoma and ghost towns in Caddo County, OK.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
9 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Historic Roger Mills Preservation Board
RR 1, Box 32
Cheyenne, OK 73628
Phone: 580‐497‐2106
Collection Information: The preservation board manages seven museums in Cheyenne,
OK. Collection includes an oral history interview from a former teacher at the Roll One
Room School along with several oral histories from military personnel.
Condition of Access: Contact HRMPB for access information.
L
Love County Historical Society, Inc.
PO Box 134
409 W. Chickasaw
Marietta, OK 73430
Phone: 580‐276‐9020
Collection Information: Collection includes 50 interviews about local/personal history
recorded in the 1960s and early 1970s. Transcripts available for approximately 75% of the
collection.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
M
Madill City­County
Library
500 W. Overton Street
Madill, OK 73446
Phone: 580‐795‐2749
Website: http://www.trinex.net/library/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with 13 individuals including
Governor Raymond Gary and General Fitzhugh Lee Lewis. Recorded on cassette tape.
Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public.
10
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
McAlester Building Foundation
200 E. Adams, Room 104
McAlester, OK 74501
Phone: 918‐423‐2932
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about coal mining. Transcripts
available.
Condition of Access: Material available for purchase.
McCarter Museum of Tonkawa History
220 E. Grand
Tonkawa, OK 74653
Phone: 580‐628‐2895
Website: http://tonkawachamber.org/mccarter_museum
Collection Information: Approximately 150 written stories, mostly handwritten with
some typed. These stories cover a variety of topics including memories of Grant County,
OO pioneers, life after the Three Sands Oil Field, among others. Also in the collection,
accounts resulting for the Federal Writers Project undertaken in the mid to late 1930s.
Stories have been compiled and are available in hardback notebooks. Only a limited
number of physical recordings are available, approximately six on cassette tape/compact
disc.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Melton Art Reference Library
4300 N. Sewell
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
Phone: 405‐525‐3603
Website: http://www.marl‐okc.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately six recordings about the art
genre along with interviews with artists. Recorded on cassette tapes. Transcripts for some
interviews are available. The Melton Art Reference Library continues to collect oral
histories with new interviews recorded in digital format.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
11 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
Lawson Terrorism Information Center
PO Box 889
Oklahoma City, OK 73101
Phone: 405‐278‐6311
Website: http://www.mipt.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews looking back at the Oklahoma City
Bombing that took place on April 19, 1995 focusing on the response effort. Interviews
recorded on digital video tape and fully transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Metropolitan Library System
300 Park Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Phone: 405‐231‐8650
Website: http://www.mls.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes oral history interviews recorded starting in
2007 with Oklahomans primarily from Oklahoma County, OK. Interviews are ongoing and
available at the library on compact disc. No transcripts available.
Condition of Access: Interlibrary loan and in‐house use only.
Museum of the Western Prairie
1100 Memorial Drive
Altus, OK 73521
Phone: 580‐482‐1044
Website: http://www.okhistory.org/mwp/index.htm
Collection Information: Collection includes 170 cassettes recorded in the late 1970s and
early 1980s. Most of the interviews revolve around memories of Southwestern Oklahoma.
Other topics include the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and other 1930s era themes. Few
transcripts have been produced, but basic interview outlines are available.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
12
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
N
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
1700 NE 63rd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73111
Phone: 405‐478‐2250
Website: http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with 63 artists recorded during
2001‐2008 and 106 rodeo participants from 2003‐2008.
Condition of Access: Available for in‐house use and for rental.
Newkirk Community Historical Society
PO Box 235
Newkirk, OK 74647
Phone: 580‐362‐2377
Collection Information: Collection includes 42 video recordings with 51 people covering
topics such as World War I, World War II, the Depression, the flu epidemic as related to
Newkirk, OK, oil boom days, building of the new courthouse in 1925‐26, family stories
about the Land Run of 1893, growing up on farms, and one room schools.
Condition of Access: Original videos are closed to the public, housed in a climate
controlled vault. Copies of recordings are available for in‐house use only, through the
Newkirk Public Library.
Newkirk Public Library
116 N. Maple Ave.
Newkirk, OK 74647
Phone: 580‐362‐3934
Website: http://www.newkirkpl.okpls.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes 42 video recordings with 51 people covering
topics such as World War I, World War II, the Depression, the flu epidemic as it related to
Newkirk, OK, oil boom days, building of the new courthouse in 1925‐26, family stories
regarding the run of 1893, growing up on farms, and one room schools. Original recordings
housed with the Newkirk Community Historical Society.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
13 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Ninety­Nines
Museum of Women Pilots
4300 Amelia Earhart Lane
Oklahoma City, OK 73159
Phone: 405‐685‐9990
Website: http://www.museumofwomenpilots.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes oral history recordings.
Condition of Access: Contact museum for further details.
Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery
2501 N. Blackwelder
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Phone: 405‐208‐5230
Website: http://www.okcu.edu/petree/humanities/art/nona.aspx
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with local artists including Steve
Mauldin, David Cherry, and Alexandra Alaupovic.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
O
Oklahoma City University Law Library
2501 North Blackwelder
Oklahoma City, OK 73106
Phone: 405‐208‐5271
Website: http://www.okcu.edu/law/lawlib/
Collection Information: Currently recording oral history interviews with attorneys and
judges throughout the state. Primary subject area includes the practice of law in Oklahoma.
Interviews recorded digitally and are available on compact disc. Transcripts for 80% of
collection are available at this time.
Condition of Access: Available through interlibrary loan.
14
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Oklahoma Historical Society
Research Division
2401 N. Laird Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: 405‐522‐5225
Website: http://www.okhistory.org/research/
Collection Information: Collection includes one of the largest repositories of oral history
recordings in the state on a variety of topics relating to Oklahoma history and people.
Recorded on various formats, approximately one to two percent of over 18,000 items have
been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Some databases, finding aids, and lists are
available online through the OHS website.
Oklahoma School for the Blind
3300 Gibson
Muskogee, OK 74403
Phone: 918‐781‐8200
Website: http://www.osb.k12.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about the history of the Oklahoma
School for the Blind. Interviews recorded on cassette tape. Interviews have not been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Oklahoma State Archives
200 NE 18th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: 405‐522‐3579
Website: http://www.odl.state.ok.us/oar/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about coal miners and the
McAlester Prison Riot. Material recorded on cassette tapes and reel‐to reel. Interviews
have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Not available to the public at this time.
15 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Oklahoma State University Library ­Stillwater
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program
102A Edmon Low Library
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405‐744‐7942
Website: http://www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with women who recall the Dust
Bowl; women who worked during the war years as Rosie the Riveters; memories from
Oklahoma A&M and OSU students, faculty, and supporters; current and former women
Oklahoma legislators; inductees of the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame; Oklahoma
Centennial Farm families; memories of the 1930s in Oklahoma; African American life in
Muskogee, OK; and memories of Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel, Oklahoma poet and Dust Bowl
emigrant. The Library also houses several extant oral history collections, including the
Oklahoma Library Association’s Library Legends, among other recordings. Material
available in various formats. Many interviews have been transcribed.
Condition of Access: Some material, including transcripts and partial audio recordings,
available online and also through in‐house use.
Oklahoma State University Library ­Tulsa
700 North Greenwood Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74104
Phone: 405‐594‐8130
Website: http://www.osu‐tulsa.okstate.edu/library/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews conducted by author Michael
Wallis as research for his various books. Interviews are also available from survivors of the
Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 conducted as part of an unpublished book manuscript authored by
Tulsan Ruth Sigler Avery. Some audiotapes in the Tulsa Race Riot Collection have been
transcribed. The Library is currently recording interviews about Route 66 as part of the
National Parks Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Finding aids available on Library’s website under
Special Collections.
16
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
P
Price Tower Arts Center
510 S. Dewey Avenue
Bartlesville, OK 74003
Phone: 918‐336‐4949
Website: http://pricetower.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about the history of Price Tower,
Price family, Price Company employees, Price Tower contractor, Price Tower Arts Center
docents and volunteers, along with former Price Tower tenants recorded on various
formats. Transcripts available for approximately 90% of collection.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
R
Renfrow/Miller Museum
2201 Yearling
Billings, OK 74630
Phone: 580‐725‐3487
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with community members about
local history. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Museum open by appointment.
Rose State College
Rose State College LRC
6420 SE 15th
Midwest City, OK 73170
Phone: 405‐736‐0259
Website: http://www.rose.edu/EOCRHC/OralHistoryIndex.htm
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews on various topics including World
War II veterans from Midwest City and the Eastern Oklahoma area. Transcripts available
online.
Condition of Access: Online access to transcripts available.
17 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
S
Sac and Fox National Public Library
Route 2, Box 246
Stroud, OK 74079
Phone: 918‐968‐3526
Collection Information: Collection includes 47 recordings about tribal history covering
the topics of genealogy, language, culture, politics, mission school accounts, education, and
farm life. The library also is home to two interviews (copies) from the Truman Michelson
Collection. Tribal history recordings have been fully transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History/
Native American Languages Department
2401 Chautauqua Ave.
Norman, OK 73068
Phone: 405‐325‐7588
Website: http://www.snomnh.ou.edu/collections‐research/nal.htm
Collection Information: Collection includes recordings from Native American societies
and cultures in the native language. Recordings cover personal narratives of growing up,
war‐time experiences, and remembering family traditions. Some recordings contain
sensitive materials regarding ceremonies of traditional medicine and beliefs. Most of the
holdings date back to 1950s through present day. The Native American Languages
Department continues to receive materials from families and also actively records new
interviews. Approximately 10% of the collection has been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Catalog records of interviews available online.
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
2510 Sam Noble Parkway
Ardmore, OK 73401
Phone: 580‐224‐6261
Website: http://www.noble.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 100 interviews of Noble
Foundation Trustees and/or employees. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
18
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Sapulpa Historical Society
PO Box 278
Sapulpa, OK 74066
Phone: 918‐224‐4871
Website: http://www.sapulpahistoricalsociety.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes family histories recorded on cassette tape.
Transcripts for some interviews are available.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Skiatook Museum
115 S. Broadway
Skiatook, OK 74070
Phone: 918‐396‐2717
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with residents of the Skiatook, OK
area conducted in 2000‐2001. Future projects include recording the memories of area
veterans.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only
Southern Prairie Library System
421 N. Hudson
Altus, OK 73521
Phone: 580‐477‐2890
Website: http://www.spls.lib.ok.us/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about the Depression years and
history of Harmon County, OK. Interviews have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
19 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center
18154 1st Street
Spiro, OK 74959
Phone: 918‐962‐2062
Website: www.okhistory.org/outreach/museums/spiromounds.html
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about Spiro Mounds
commercial/WPA excavations. Recorded on video cassette tapes.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Stafford Air & Space Museum
3000 E. Logan Road
Weatherford, OK 73096
Phone: 580‐772‐5871
Website: http://www.staffordspacecenter.com/
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews with astronauts including General
Stafford. The collection also houses interviews with author Andy Chaikin who discusses the
space program and artifacts in the museum. Recorded on digital video. Interviews have
not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
T
Tulsa City­County
Library
400 Civic Center
Tulsa, OK 74103
Phone: 918‐596‐7977
Website: http://www.tulsalibrary.org/
Collection Information: The collection, recorded in 1980 by Junior League of Tulsa, Inc.,
includes conversations with 62 Tulsans on various aspects of local history, including daily
life, education, and business. Interviews are currently being transcribed and digitized.
Condition of Access: Compact discs may be checked out; digitized interviews are being
added to online collections: http://www.tulsalibrary.org/tulsahistory/photographs.php
20
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
Tulsa Performing Arts Center
110 E. 2nd Street
Tulsa, OK 74103
Phone: 918‐596‐2368
Website: http://www.tulsapac.com
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews conducted in December 2006 on
video/audio cassettes of John H. Williams, Charles E. Norman, Robert J. LaFortune.
Additional interviews with Katie Westby, Benedict Lubell and Roy Saunders. Some of the
interviews have been transcribed. Video portions of interviews can be seen on Tulsa cable
television, Channel 24 (TGOV). Transcripts for some interviews are available.
Condition of Access: Please contact TPAC directly for access information.
U
University of Central Oklahoma Library
100 N. University Drive
Campus Box 192
Edmond, OK 73034
Phone: 405‐974‐2882
Website: http://library.uco.edu/archives/oralhistory/
Collection Information: Collection includes approximately 150 interviews and covers the
following topics: UCO alumni, faculty and staff, Edmond citizens/pioneers, American
Indian Cultural Center, NAACP Youth Council, Oklahoma oil barons, Oklahoma artists.
Interviews recorded on a variety of formats, with the majority of interviews transcribed
and available online.
Condition of Access: Full transcripts, partial audio/video available online.
21 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
University of Oklahoma Library
Western History Collections
630 Parrington Oval, Room 452
Norman, OK 73019
Phone: 405‐325‐3641
Website: http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/whc/
Collection Information: Collection includes the Indian Pioneer Papers and the Doris Duke
Indian Oral History Collection. The Indian Pioneer Papers Collection contains subjects
related to Oklahoma history, particularly around the time of statehood. The Doris Duke
Indian Oral History Collection contains all types of historical information related to Native
Americans in Oklahoma, particularly around the time of statehood through the first few
decades of statehood. Interviews available on cassette tapes and compact discs.
Transcripts available for most of the collection.
Condition of Access: Transcripts of the Indian Pioneer Papers and the Doris Duke Indian
Oral History Collection are available online. Audio tapes, compact discs are available in‐house
only.
University of Tulsa Library
McFarlin Library
2933 E. 6th Street
Tulsa, OK 74104‐3123
Phone: 918‐631‐2873
Website: http://www.lib.utulsa.edu/
Collection Information: Collection includes the Chapman‐Barnard Ranch Oral History
Project, interviews with Dr. Charles W. Oliphant ‐ geophysicist and Tulsa oilman, University
of Tulsa Oral History Project, interviews with Mr. C. Arnold Brown – Tulsa oilman and
founder of KWB Oil Property Management, Inc., Tulsa Race Riot interviews. Materials
recorded on various formats. Transcripts are available for approximately 75% of the
collection. The Tulsa Race Riot materials have not been transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
22
Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
W
Washita County Museum
PO Box 153
Cordell, OK 73632
Phone: 580‐832‐3681
Collection Information: Collection includes interviews about the history of Washita
County, OK from before the Land Run of April 19, 1892 until present.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Watonga Public Library
301 N. Prouty
Watonga, OK 73772
Phone: 918‐596‐2368
Website: http://www.watongapl.okpls.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes local history interviews on 46 cassette tapes
recorded in 1973 and 1983, along with some unknown dates. Interviews have not been
transcribed.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only.
Waynoka Historical Society
PO Box 193
Waynoka, OK 73860
Phone: 580‐824‐5871
Website: http://www.waynoka.org/
Collection Information: Collection includes local history interviews on various topics,
including Fred Harvey, transcontinental air support, Santa Fe Railroad in Waynoka,
Railways Ice Co., and the Waynoka Sand and Gravel Company. Transcripts available for
approximately 10% of collection.
Condition of Access: In‐house use only. Not available to the public.
23 Oral History Collections in Oklahoma | 3/3/2010
SURVEY RESPONDENTS
Alfalfa County Museum
Alva Public Library
Anadarko Community Library
Anadarko Heritage Museum
Apache Historical Museums
Ardmore Public Library
Arkoma Public Library
Beaver County Pioneer Library
Blackwell Public Library
Break O’Day Farm & Metcalfe Museum
Bristow Historical Society
Broken Arrow Genealogical Society
Buffalo Public Library
Caboose Museum
Caddo Heritage Museum
Cameron University
Chelsea Public Library
Cherokee City County Library
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Chickasha Public Library
Choctaw County Public Library
Cimarron Heritage Center
City Arts Center, Oklahoma City
Confederate Memorial Museum
Connors State College
Conoco Museum
ConocoPhillips Corporate Archives
Cushing Public Library
Czech Cultural Museum
Delaware County Historical Society
El Reno Carnegie Library
Elk City Carnegie Library
Ellis County Historical Society
Fairfax Public Library
Friends of Nardin, Inc.
Frisco Depot Museum
Garrard Armeneum
Gateway to the Panhandle Museum
Grace M. Pickens Public Library
Grady County Historical Society
Grove Public Library
Harn Homestead Museum
Harrah History Museum
Hinton Historical Society Museum
Historic Roger Mills County Preservation Board
Hobart Public Library
Honey Springs Battlefield
Indian Territory Genealogical & Historical Society
Johnson County Historical Society
Love County Historical Society, Inc.
Madill City‐County Library
Martin Park Nature Center
Mayes County Genealogical Society
Maysville Public Library
McAlester Building Foundation
McAlester Public Library
McAlester Scottish Rite Masons
McCarter Museum of Tonkawa History
McCurtain County Historical Society
Melton Art Reference Library
Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism
Metropolitan Library System
Murrell Home
Museum of the Western Prairie
Mustang Public Library
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame
National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum
Newkirk Community Historical Society
Newkirk Public Library
Ninety‐Nines Museum of Women Pilots
Nona Jean Hulsey Gallery
Oilpatch Genealogy Society
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University Law Library
Oklahoma City Zoo‐Historical Archive
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma School for the Blind
Oklahoma State Archives
Oklahoma State University‐Center for Health Sciences
Oklahoma State University‐Stillwater Library
Oklahoma State University‐Tulsa Library
Old Greer County Museum & Hall of Fame
Old Town Museum
Olive Warner Memorial Library
OSU‐Institute of Technology Okmulgee
Pawnee Bill Ranch
Pawnee County Historical Museum
Payne County Genealogy Society
Performing Arts Center‐Norman
Pioneer Library System
Pocahontas Trails Genealogical Society, Oklahoma‐Texas
Pottawatomie County Genealogy Club
Prairie Song Pioneer Village
Price Tower Arts Center
Renfrow/Miller Museum
Rogers County Historical Society
Rose State College
Sac and Fox National Public Library
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Native
American Languages Department
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
Sapulpa Historical Society
Shortgrass County Museum
Skiatook Museum
Soutar Memorial Library
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Southern Prairie Library System
Southwestern Christian University
Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center
Stafford Air & Space Museum
Temple Museum Association
The Freedom Museum, Inc.
Tulsa City‐County Library
Tulsa Performing Arts Center
United Spanish War Veterans
University of Central Oklahoma Library
University of Oklahoma Law Library
University of Oklahoma, Western History Collections
University of Tulsa‐McFarlin Library
Washington County Historical Society
Washita County Museum
Watonga Public Library
Waurika Public Library
Waynoka Historical Society
Western Plains Genealogy Society
Wilson Historical Museum